Expert Insight – John Yarham, newly appointed CEO of the Careers & Enterprise Company, on his vision for raising the bar in careers education even higher

I’m delighted to be writing in NavigATE so shortly after being appointed as Chief Executive of the Careers & Enterprise Company. Having spent the last six years in the organisation, and the previous twenty years in roles related in some way to careers guidance, it’s the pinnacle of my career to now be leading the national organisation responsible for improving the awareness and confidence of young people, to enable them to take their best next step.

That privilege comes from having a clear view of what is working across the system of support for young people – and what needs to be done to improve.

Thanks to the engagement from 94% of all state secondary and special schools, and FE colleges, we have a clear insight into the careers activities that they are delivering for their students, against the world class standards of the Gatsby Benchmarks. That data has shown a consistently sustained story of progress over several years – activity has more than trebled in the last six years.

The interesting aspect of the insight is in correlating this institutional return with the feedback from young people. Last year, a record 330,000 young people responded to our Future Skills Questionnaire. They shared their strong understanding of Apprenticeships – on a par with A’ Levels, thanks to lots of efforts from colleagues reading this article – and the growing levels of understanding that they have of the priority sectors within their areas.

But the feedback also shows where the priorities need to lie for the future. Young people in the most disadvantaged positions receive the same levels of support as their peers, but feel less confident and prepared for their futures. They need greater levels of support – something that we are keen to support Careers Leaders to enable through our Risk of NEET Indicator function within the Compass tool.

Implementing the revised Gatsby Benchmarks – released this September and featuring prominently as part of the DfE’s Statutory Guidance for careers education – will be a focus as part of this drive. The reimagination of work experience – extending its depth and coverage but thinking more clearly about quality, will be the other particular focus.

All of these measures will be achieved through strong partnerships – locally and nationally. Great progress has been made in moving careers education forward over the last decade. More can be achieved by lifting the bar further on quality, going further for those in most need and continuing to link employers and educators.